.....People not stopping, ever, at pedestrian crossings.

I just walk over and make them stop, near me at disco gardens there are always indian, or sri lanks or whatever just standing there looking pissed off as car after car comes over.

So.....are they actually meant to stop over here? What's the law??

The law is the pedestrian has right of way.

hmmm... the real law is the local with the tinted windows in the Patrol most certainly has the right of way....

That is most certainly not what I understand to be the case.

I believe the 'zebra' crossings are merely intended to indicate where to cross, not implying a right to do so............

Yep - wouldn't want to test the law myself.

Everyman for himself in this hole.

yeah I thought as much.

Oh well, I'll keep on stepping in front of cars.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

nice knowing you...

I do the same, though I know it's nuts.

When I was a kid living in AB,I never took for granted that cars would stop at the Zebra crossings, because they never did. It just isn't part of the culture in the Gulf, be it locals, other Arabs or Asians.

About the Indians/Sri Lankans being pissed, do you think if they were Whites or locals then cars would stop/more prone to stop?

Good question. I don't usually stop for a number of reasons:

If I'm turning right at an intersection and there's nobody behind me I'm tempted to stop as long as they look ready to cross and traffic coming from my left is not too bad.

If traffic is bad and cars turning right are backed up, I will deliberately leave a big gap for them to cross.

If it's a main road with a crossing right in the middle (how nuts is that!!!) I don't ever stop because I know the SOB behind me will crash right into me.

If it's a smaller road and driving slow, I will always let people cross , anywhere anytime. But walking along the road, they will always get beeped. Same for the diagonal meandering and the bovine strollers.

I beep a lot anyway.

Jeeper is correct. Pedestrians do have legal right of way in the UAE. I rang the police once to ask (work related, I'm not a total geek) and they confirmed this. Also told me to let me know the details of cars that didn't stop, although I really can't imagine them doing much about that as they ignore the crossings themselves.

-

The original question was 'what is the law'.

The law is vehicles must give way to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings:

See number 43: http://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/dp/eng...&mainlayid=196

The question wasn't: do you recommend I walk out in front of cars when i'm on a ped xing? or do drivers in the middle east actually give way to peds?


We all know laws here are upheld in a pretty haphazard manner anyway but I still wouldn't fancy your chances if you knocked over a person on a pedestrian crossing.


The question wasn't "what do you believe or understand to be the case' either...

near me in the Marina, there're actually two pedestrian (zebra) crossings with a little "give way" sign (and line on the road) for cars. No warning for the cars, though... and do any of them stop? Nah...

However, if you are crossing in a non designated area and you are hit by a car, you are not covered by the insurance of of the car as it is classed as jay walking and the pedestrian is fined ! the law changed around 12 months ago

Yep, that cost my mate 2 fractured vertebrae, a split skull and 3000 AED when he got hit by a local doing 80kms in a back street down by the Iranian hospital.